Buffing discs

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The most wide-spread polisher is buffing disc made of high-quality pressed wool.

Buffing discs are divided into fine-wool, semicoarse-wool and coarse-wool ones. It is good to apply for production of buffing discs the densest sorts of felt since others are worn out too quickly. But on the other hand, fine-wool buffing discs are applied for processing particularly important details of machines and devices. Semicoarse-wool buffing discs are used to polish surgical tools, details of precise measuring devices, etc., the ones requiring high quality of polishing. But in other cases coarse-wool buffing discs are applied. Polishing of colour metals and aluminum is mainly done with buffing discs made of soft felt.

Buffing discs can work better at low circumferential speed. It is recommended to choose the speed of 5-10 m/s. Extra speed makes the surface a bit harder, and at the same time under the influence of the increased centrifugal force the structure which is being polished breaks away from the buffing disc and is used in vain.

All sorts of felt are easily polluted, therefore it is necessary to take precaution measures and keep the discs as far from dirt and dust as possible. The buffing disc which is not in operation must be covered by something, or in case it is not on the drive it must be wrapped in clean paper. Try not to mix different powders or pastes on the buffing discs in case this can be avoided. Thus, if you prefer working with ceric oxide, do not apply other polishing powder on the same buffing disc. Particles of dirt are removed from the buffing disc during its rotation with the help of a piece of pumice. At the same time this is a good way to smoothen the surface of the buffing disc.

And you should follow for the buffing disc not to be made dirty with the particles which have broken away.

Polishing buffing discs can be made of thin plates of felt, cut, for instance, of boot-tops of old valenki. Approximate diametre of the buffing disc is from 5 to 25 cm, depending on the designation of the circle and the drive applied, thickness 3-5 cm.

Production of buffing disc

The size may differ, though, a lot from the ones indicated, depending on the circumstances. Felt plates are covered with a thin layer of clay (the edges are not covered in order to prevent alien substances during polishing) and, taken together, they are pressed from above with heavy freight. When the glue gets dried, in the middle of the circle a through opening is made with a steel pipe with sharply cloistered edges. The buffing disc is fixed on the roller of the electric engine with two washers and nuts. Since washers ensure rigidity of the buffing disc, their diametre must make up no less than one third of the diametre of the buffing disc. In case the buffing disc is fixed on the short rod with a thread, it is going to become a removable one and it can be easily fixed in the drill chuck.

Efficiency of polishing with felt is partially determined by its protein nature. Wool fibre is made of protein substance – keratin - a highly-molecular combination of a number of amino acids united into large molecular complexes in the form of long chains. Characteristic of all protein substances is availability in the molecules of both acid carboxyl groups, and the main amino groups. As the result of it, wool fibre can chemically interact with alkali and acid components of the material to be polished (if it has got them), polishing suspension and polishing paste, binding both cations and anions. This causes more intensive chemical activity as contrasted to other, non-protein polishing materials. Since cotton fabric is made of vegetative materials, it consists of cellulose, in which only molecules with hydroxyl groups are active, them having no chemical reaction with anions and cations of the material to be polished and the polishing powder.

In terms of structure wool fibres are divided into fluff, semifinish hair, barb and dead hair. Fluff is the most elastic fibre with the largest amount of scales on the surface, while dead hair represents the most coarse fibre deprived of elasticity, the surface of which has got no scale structure. In accordance with that felts are divided by the structure of fibres.

Structure of woolen felts

Name of felt	Content of fibre in the felt in mass shares %
Name of felt	Fluff	Semifinish hair	Barb	Dead hair
Thin-wool (chorde)	90	5	5	-
Semicoarse-wool	30	30	35	5
Coarse-wool	15	5	75	5

Source: www.polirovanie.ru

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